Mystery at Mavadi!

Chapter 9!

My mouth was open.

I watched as Alex shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth. She chomped noisily. My hand itched to get some but Robin and I were supposed to tell everybody what happened when we'd gone to see Robert. We'd cleaned up and now, an hour later, we sat on my bed. I had on a green T-shirt that read 'Pokemon'.

Susan looked at us expectantly, occasionally glancing at the mirror to check her posture. Am sat in her relaxed way with a pillow on her lap. Sasha lay beside her. They were really hitting it off. Ed perched on Larry's shoulder while he waited patiently eyeing Robin. Alex, like I mentioned before, was annoying me by way of eating popcorn... without giving ME any!

"OK" Robin began. He told everyone about how we'd gotten directions to Robert's house, how we'd actually had no clear idea how to begin. Everyone laughed at the part where I'd made up a there's-a-cat-called-Abby-in-your-garden story to make it seem natural. I tore my gaze from the bag of popcorn in Alex's hand to grin at everyone.

I then decided to tell my cousins about Robin's overly heroic actions. Susan fell off the bed laughing when I told them all about Robin dangling from a branch.

It took us all a while to stop laughing and concentrate on breathing.

"Alright" Larry said "Let's listen to everyone else's report."

I nodded.

Larry looked over at Alex the glutton and signalled for her to tell her part in the investigation.

She swallowed and crushed the paper bag the popcorn had been in. I felt like she'd crushed my heart. My popcorn... I silently whimpered in my head.

"That was good" she said like she always did and I almost said it along with her. Pig. I'd get her for this...

"So yes" she began "Am and I gathered some interesting pieces of information. Things worth the investigation." She gave Robin and me a pointed look.

We stuck our tongues out at her.

"Granmama says that in all the houses nothing gets stolen." she continued "The rooms are only ransacked. There was a car patrol on the west side of town even before the thefts began."

"To get a police car to patrol part of a village must mean it's a big deal" Larry said.

"Weird, though" Alex kept saying "granmama started telling us something about Jhembulingam. Then she laughed it off and headed into the kitchen again."

"Jhembulingam?" I asked confused "That thief who lived long ago? The one who could never be caught?"

"But I thought" Susan began twirling a lock of her raven black hair in her hand "Jhembulingam was long dead. Why bring him up now?"

"What about his gold?" Robin asked.

"What about it?" I asked.

"What if that's what the stealing is all about? Why else would granmama mention it?"

"Granmama's hiding something. " Amethyst spoke for the first time, her voice full of sadness.

We all turned to look at her. No one questioned Am on stuff like that. She was a pro at picking up anything wrong in any ones mood. No one could pretend like everything was fine while sulking inside without Am sensing it. No matter how well you could pretend, she'd still see through the act.

"She's right." Alex said "Granmama definitely links J-guy with the robberies."

We all sat silently. This detective thing was confusing. Really confusing.

I looked up at the walls of my room. They had all been painted a light pink, almost white. Granpapa had passed away Six years ago. Maybe eight. Like I said, horrible memory. I'd been a little girl back then.

"What was granpapa like?" I asked suddenly.

"He was very kind. Really clever as well." Larry told me "He was an elder in the village council. Everyone respected him and trusted him. Granmama was respected too. In fact, granpapa was like the chief around here."

I stared. "Really?"

"Yep" Robin gave me a huge grin "I remember sitting on his lap when he passed verdicts and stuff."

I was silent as I digested everything. Only Susan and I'd never gotten a lot of time with our grandfather.

My cousins started talking again.

"Another random question!" I interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Do you think Robert found out that we were lying about a cat in his garden?"

"No." Larry said with a smile on his face.

I waited for him to go on.

"Robert's ailurophobic." Larry said.

Robin and I stared at him. "He's what?"

"He has a fear of cats." Am's quiet voice clarified for us.

He did? This could work so many things in our favour. Hmmm....

"Robin... Vy..." Larry warned.

"What?" we both asked innocently.

"You know what." Larry said "No cats near Robert, OK?"

"Laurence!" Robin exclaimed doing a Robert imitation again "I would never!"

"Right" Larry said dismissing the subject.

"Oh one more thing" Susan said "Apparently there have been robberies all over our street and judging from the pattern, we're next."

She said it so nonchalantly that for a moment it didn't register. When it did we all made choking noises. Actually, we tried to talk but the words got stuck in our throats. We were next. We were next? Why did we feel more excited than scared?

"Yes, Mr. Sam told us that there've been seven robberies down our street alone." Larry said.

I gasped. What were the police doing?

Larry answered like he could read my mind "The police began to patrol the west side remember? I guess they'll come down here now."

"This is so weird." I concluded "Why are they patrolling there when the ransacking is here? Why isn't granmama scared at all? What's going on?"

"Want to do our own patrol, Larry?" Robin asked with a grin.

"I don't think I follow" Larry said, confused.

"Tonight. Why don't we walk around our street for a while?"

"Are you mad?" The question left my mouth before I could stop myself.

"Ah Come on, Violet. Not you. Duh. Just Larry and me. It would give us one step ahead Scaredy-cat if anything happened."

I stifled a laugh. Scaredy-cat.

"Who?" Larry asked, looking confused again.

It was all I could do to stop myself from rolling my eyes at him. Larry was the sweetest person on earth (next to Am) but he could be really dumb sometimes.

"Robert!" Susan and I clarified for him.

"Oh."